Other than some tech specs, the only real info I got was thazt it was accepted into service in 2005, and deployed in the following manner, two BMPTs would be used to cover one MBT in an urban enviroment, while in open country one BMPT would cover two MBTs. I suppose with the conflict in Chechnya all but dead, and most other security opperations in that region not needing the full weight of the army, the BMPTs have yet to see any real action.

After the debacle in Chechnya you would expect that Russia would give these a priority.  The way Russia seems to be behaving it is only a matter of time before these vehicles will be needed, probably for an internal revolt.  The cities will be the preferred battle ground, if not the only place where opposition has a chance.

 

If they are not building them, then the most likely explanation would be a shortage of tank chassis to build them on, which would have interesting implications about the state of their military industrial base.

 

It's sort of interesting, the critics always say that the US over emphasizes technological solutions, but the Russians are fielding BMPT and the US is emphasizing infantry training for the same role.

I don't know what they were thinking. Chechen war is pretty much over, and it has proved that the only problem is leadership, not war fighting skill or weapons they possess. Yes, they do have defects, but the weapons used in 1994-95 and the ones used in 1999 wars are not very much different. Tactics, political support, determination and leadership from Kremlin down to the frontline commander is crucial to the outcome.

 

Apperently, they don't really think they are going to fight Western armies in any near future. These kind of equipment is as useless against western amors as their tanks. It is probably an interim measure to keep some tank plant running before they figure out what to do with their army in the future.

 

The other thing is that, Russians found in the last decade that their weapons don't sell well if they themselves don't use these. A small batch in some active service is a good boost for the sales in arms industry. Many war fighting forces do need something like BMPT, since they don't fight much in armor echelon, and 30mm is just enough to bring down enemy BTRs.

With what happened last year in Lebanon, could any one here imagine Israel using a similar system to the BMPT?

I kinda like the idea behind the BMPT... especially since the Soviet IFV's and AA vehicles have paper-thin armor.

 

Whereas once upon a time, in WWII, you had plenty of Light AA vehicles rolling around to provide cannon fire (Wirblewind/Ostwind, the American M15/M16 halftracks, etc) and cannon-armred IFV's during the cold war, those auto-cannon may now be absent, since missiles are so often used for Air Defense these days (when an army is serious about it at all - if you want an eye-opener, read about the difficulties they British faced, trying to deal with Argentinian air attacks in the Falklands).

 

I may be wrong, but I don't think that you can find an autocannon in the Stryker organization - there is nothing between .50 cal HMG and 105mm gun.  Which is a little silly, considering how easy it would be to equip a few Strykers with a 25mm or 30mm turret.